Water skiers normally grasp a handle that is attached to the end of a tow rope as they are pulled along the water surface by a motor boat or jet ski. The transverse force created by the boat is transferred to the skier through the skier's arms, which keeps the skier moving on the water surface.
A common complaint among skiers, especially long distance skiers, is that the stress on the skier's arms from being towed by the tow rope is painful and tiring. One solution has been to removably attach the end of the tow rope to a harness or belt worn by the skier. Such a harness pulls the skier along while removing most or all of the transverse force from the skier's arms. Devices have been developed to attach the harness in such a way that if the skier chooses to be released, or falls, that the rope is released from the harness. Examples of such devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos: 4,235,182, 4,981,098, 4,263,685, and 4,280,240.
There are several drawbacks to these prior art devices. These devices use complex mechanical arrangements, such as mechanical springs, that are employed to overcome the pulling force of the tow line applied to the harness. This force tends to twist the release device during operation and/or jam or slow the release of the harness device during use. It is imperative that such a device immediately release when the skier falls. If the device jams or the release is too slow, the skier may be injured. Another drawback is that some devices employ one or both hands of the skier to operate the release mechanism to retain the connection between the handle and the harness. With such a mechanism, the skier cannot ski with one hand on the handle, and switch hands while skiing. Lastly, none of the prior art references provide a simple means for adjusting the length of the device while skiing so the skier can change the distance between the handle and the harness for different skiing positions and maneuvers.
There is a need for a harness release device that is simple in construction, reliably releases from the skier, allows the skier to ski with only one hand on the handle and to switch hands, and allows the skier to easily adjust the length of the device between the handle and the harness during use.